Cargoes

Salt and Seed, Lamp Oil, Lemons, and Vermin

Although there were thousands of fully loaded ships coming into Gloucester, many left the City empty. Finding things to put in them was difficult. When Gloucester Docks were first built, Forest of Dean coal, Cotswold stone and Droitwich salt were the main exports. Of these the salt trade was the most important. Attempts were continually made to find alternatives. During the recession of the 1840s, Price Walker even resorted to taking emigrants to America in their empty timber ships. After the Second World War, a deal was done to send cars and parts to Ireland. However a lasting solution was never found.

In the 19th Century, grain came from as far away as Australia, timber from America and the Arctic, cottonseed from India and linseed from the Black Sea ports. Copper, zinc and roofing slates were sent from Wales, wool, oranges, lemons, sulphur and sugar were amongst the many goods brought in from Europe. Even old rags for paper, and bones and guano for fertiliser came to Gloucester.

All sorts of trading went on. One merchant, Humphrey Brown tried to cash in on the Australian gold rush in 1853.one merchant. He started a shipping line taking pioneers and everything they needed such as prefabricated houses and pots and pans to Australia. But, the business failed and was eventually sent to prison for embezzlement.

When the grain, and timber trades began to decline in the 20th century, new imports were sought of which oil became the most important. This had been brought to Gloucester from America since the 1880s. It had always been for lighting, now more of it was needed than ever before but this time for motor cars.

In the 1930s peanuts, sweet locust and cocoa beans and chocolate crumb were imported and sent on to Cadburys at Bourneville. This attracted hungry children who would wait for a kindly docker to give them some, or for a sack to split. Elsewhere birds perched on the salt warehouses to peck the salt from the cement between the bricks, and rats flocked to the warehouses where grain was stored.